Graduating from business school gives people the tools and foundational knowledge to manage a business. But it doesn’t guarantee success. Because of a high failure rate, securing financing is difficult. You have to demonstrate that you can manage money before someone hands it out. Studies show that the average entrepreneur, between thirty and fifty years old, fails at a rate of 60-80%. This means that six to eight individuals in ten will try to start a business and not succeed. Among the reasons for failure, studies cite the lack of a business coach, inadequate financial knowledge, and not knowing your target market. The good news is that College Pro can help you earn the practical experience your formal education can’t provide.

There are a handful of employers willing to give you the freedom to learn the ins-and-out of running your own business. Managing a College Pro Painter’s franchise allows you to balance work with school. The experience can give you the valuable business expertise you need to secure financing for a startup in the future. The personal skills honed along the way are an added benefit. A former College Pro Painters franchisee based in Northern Colorado achieved just that.

“I was attending school full time and working full time at Texas Roadhouse. I had no money as a Freshman or Sophomore. I was working two jobs just to pay for school and the mortgage on my home. I always wanted to run a business, but could not see any feasible way to get the “real” experience I would need to convince someone that I could turn their money into real profit…Thanks to a bit of luck and good faith, College Pro fell into my lap and I got to fulfill my dream as a twenty-year-old College student.”

The benefits of managing a College Pro franchise extend beyond earning a steady income. It’s the real-life experience you cull from taking on the responsibility of managing a small business on your own.

“I ran a business and learned how to finance myself for the rest of my life.”

College Pro franchisees have an entrepreneurial blood coursing through their veins. The application process can help you determine if accepting the challenge of being a business franchisee is for you. It’s not an easy task, but it is a rewarding one.

“I also learned that if you put your mind to it you can accomplish a lot more than you think. I learned how to lead people, manage finances, deal with customers, sell myself, manage my priorities, schedule my time, build a network, balance personal/work/school/family time appropriately. Most importantly I took control of my future, paid for school, invested in my home, invested in myself, and am on the path to retire by the time I am 35. I do not know how I will do this, I just know that through the hard work ethic and personal potentials I realized through College Pro I will be much closer to this goal!”